Hey There Red!
I would love to be friends. I am not a newbie, but friends are friends, no matter what the status. I would like to say that most if not all of the people here realize that. However, remember, don't just make friends all willy-nilly. Your friends list will get cluttered with people you rarely talk to, or made friends with on a whim. It isn't a good thing. What i have found to be successful in my endeavors, is that a close knit list of friends is a good one. Maybe about 50 to 100. And these are all people you converse or talk to whenever your on Gaia.This way, you won't have to feel bad about befriending someone then eliminating them from a friends list.
However, everyone makes mistakes, so don't feel you shouldn't restrict yourself. Have fun, go mingle, and be silly. Just keep in mind: "Am I going to talk to you tomorrow?"
P.S. I would love to be friends biggrin